Enabling smart vision with metasurfaces

Optical metasurfaces-subwavelength-patterned surfaces that interact strongly with light-have been an active area of research for more than a decade. The field has been driven by the key advantages of this concept, including the ultimate miniaturization of optical elements, empowering novel functionalities that process hidden modalities of light, and the opportunity to tune their properties on demand. A large number of applications with a focus on smart vision have emerged, foreseeing a meta-optical device under the hood of any robotic system. Nowadays, the field is experiencing a solid industry pull that defines the challenges and research directions. This review overviews the application focus of the field defined by the growing number of optical functionalities. We describe the current challenges and outline the research frontiers in the field.

Automated summary

Optical metasurfaces, which are subwavelength-patterned surfaces that strongly interact with light, have been a popular research topic for over a decade. They offer advantages such as miniaturization of optical elements, novel functionalities for processing hidden light modalities, and the ability to adjust their properties as needed. Numerous applications focused on smart vision have emerged, envisioning the integration of meta-optical devices in robotic systems. The field is now experiencing significant industry demand, which is shaping the challenges and research directions. This review provides an overview of the application focus and discusses current challenges and future research frontiers in the field.